First words -- A psalm of David -- The Lord is my shepherd -- I shall not want -- He makes me to lie down in green pastures -- He leads me beside the still waters -- He restores my soul -- He guides me in straight paths for his name's sake -- Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death -- I will fear no evil for thou art with me -- Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me -- Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies -- Thou anointest my head with oil -- My cup runneth over -- Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life -- And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

The Lord is my shepherd is a book of practical spirituality, inspiration and encouragement gleaned from what may be the best-known chapter in the Bible: the Twenty-third Psalm. "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." So begins the psalm that, for millennia, has been a source of comfort in grief and of courage in fear. In this book Harold Kushner discovers what it has to teach us about living our day-to-day lives. Each chapter discusses one line of the psalm in the context of both the time when it was written and the present day, and illuminates the life lessons contained within it. The author also draws on the ideas and thoughts of various spiritual figures--from G.K. Chesterton to Martin Buber to Paul Tillich--to further expand our understanding of this great psalm and help us benefit from its everyday spiritual wisdom.